- Downs produced a dominant performance against Maritzburg
- Mokwena praised his charges' mentality after the win
- The young mentor and his team will now face Royal AM
WHAT HAPPENED: The 35-year-old tactician masterminded an emphatic 5-0 win over the Team of the Choice in what was his maiden game after being appointed the club's head coach.
Haashim Domingo and Cassius Mailula both scored twice while the other goal was scored by Man of the Match Thapelo Morena as the Tshwane giants bounced back to winning ways.
Mokwena was appointed head coach after Sundowns' humiliating 3-0 loss to Orlando Pirates in an MTN8 clash over the weekend with Manqoba Mngqithi being demoted.
The former Orlando Pirates assistant coach praised Masandawana players for having the right mindset during their clash with Maritzburg and urged them to show the same hunger in their next game.
WHAT HE SAID: "Well congratulations to the boys, congratulations to Sundowns to the yellow nation, congratulations to the coaches, not a very easy game but look we took our chances," Mokwena said on SuperSport TV.
"We were very aggressive today on transitions, aggressive on regains, we showed a lot of hunger today which is good to show the right mentality, to respect the brand, to respect the club.
"Especially after what happened on the weekend, so congratulations to the boys and congratulations to the entire club.
"Now we just have to stay humble you know and show the same hunger in the next match, Maritzburg are very difficult to beat, especially here at Harry Gwala.
"A pitch that suits a low block and the possibility to spread themselves across the pitch and we did very well with our speed of the ball today," he added.
"And the speed without the ball because they are a very good side, don't take the score as an indication of the level of the opposition, we did very well today. Now is just to maintain, keep the same hunger and keep going."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The big win over Maritzburg has definitely restored Sundowns players' confidence following the team's demoralizing loss to Pirates.
It also saw Masandawana pull away from the chasing pack in the race of this season's PSL title as Masandawana are now three points clear of second-placed Richards Bay with a game in hand.
The Tshwane giants are now left with two matches before the Fifa World Cup break with the team scheduled to face off against Royal AM and AmaZulu FC.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR SUNDOWNS?: Masandawana are staying put in the KwaZulu-Natal province after their victory over Maritzburg in Pietermaritzburg.
Mokwena's side will travel to Durban's Chatsworth Stadium where they are expected to square off with Royal AM in another PSL encounter on Saturday.